Guest IRNBRUD Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 Finally, the Toronto Star (August 19, 2003) takes notice of this much ignored problem..... IB 8o Residency problems fuel doctors' shortage Students face hurdle on way to medical degree McLellan says no more money available KAREN PALMER PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTER WINNIPEG—Medical students across the country are facing a bottleneck in their transition to medical resident that could delay their future as doctors and add to the looming shortage of doctors and specialists. Although schools across the country have opened up university spots for medical students in an effort to stem the shortage, the increases mean nothing if there isn't a corresponding increase in residency spots so students can complete their education. "It's a real shame this is being overlooked," said Dr. Monica Penner of the Canadian Association of Internes and Residents. "These are Canadian-trained doctors who can't finish and get out there." Residency is used to give medical students the hands-on training that tests and hones their skills. Doctors training in family medicine must complete a two-year residency, while other specialties take four to six years. Students cannot become fully licensed physicians without residency. Each year, medical students are matched with a residency spot using a service known as the Canadian Residency Matching System. This year alone, there were 80 more applications than spots for residents. "We dodged the bullet this year because people deferred to do research or they went down south for their training," said Dr. James Clarke, also of the association. Last year, four students were forced to put their dreams of becoming a doctor on hold. The Canadian Medical Association recommends that, for every 100 medical student slots, schools offer 120 residency positions. However, Canada has been operating more on a one-to-one ratio, dropping last year to just under one position for every applicant. Clarke estimates about 100 new residency positions would need to be created just to keep up with demand. A few million dollars earmarked for residency spots would go a long way to resolving the problem, Penner said. However, federal Health Minister Anne McLellan said Ottawa will not provide funds to open up residency positions. "There are no additional dollars, no dedicated funding." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 What a frustrating article! Especially since it can't possibly cost very much to open residency spots, can it? Aren't residents basically working as doctors for much less pay? Where would the funding money (the few million McLellan doesn't have) go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 Allow me to paraphrase: The people running the show are frigging morons... There is no sense in building new med schools and increasing medical school enrollment if your med school graduate (after getting 3-4 years of bigtime government funding), has to leave the country to finish training or ends up training in a specialty that was way down on their list of choices. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 I can't believe there won't be an increase in residency spots to match med school spots. I can definitely believe the increases will be in specialties students might not be as interested in but there is perceived need (Family, Psych, Geriatric fellowship programs). Those increases we thought were so great in 2001 when we were applying ain't seeming so hot now, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Shahenshah Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 I really am suprised that Anne McLellan could firmly say that they will NOT provide funds for residency..is she even aware of the problem? how can she be so bold in saying that? Has CFMS really pushed this issue with her as she seems to have made up her mind..yes increasing enrolment = nothing if they can't subsequently increase residency spots..I mean they sure have fooled the general public but I hope more articles can highlight the fact that until the size of the bottle neck changes, our problems remain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CaesarCornelius Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 It seems to me that this problem can only get worse as the years pass on. If there are 100 unmatched med students, couldn't that possibly mean that there would potentially be 200 unmatched in the next year (assuming all of those who didn't match the first year all re applied). It needs to be caught early I think, or atleast by 2007.. (ha!) CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 Does anybody know where the funds for residency really go? I just can't see what part of offering a residency could possibly cost much money - residents are working doctors, after all...? It seems very odd, like there's some missing information. If there's really a crisis in residency spots, then has there been a lot of lobbying going on? From students, from professional organizations? This seems like something that the public would support - a healthcare issue with high potential gains and low potential costs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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